River wakes curled around her husband, an arm slung around his waist with one of his gangly ones around her shoulder. She yawns, and smiles down at his sleeping face.

She'd dreamed of this sometimes in the Library. Of waking up next to him again, seeing his peaceful visage, feeling his arms around her. There's just something special about waking up next to the man you love, seeing him at his most vulnerable. The worst part was when she woke and realized she was wrapped around a blanket.

So she pinches herself, just to make sure.

She lays her head down on his chest, feeling the healthy thump thump thump thump beneath her ear. And stills, smiling. "I know you're awake."

He pops an eye open, and grins, looking at her. "How?"

She grins slyly, and runs a hand up his chest. "Might want to control the abnormally fast heart rate around me, dear, if you don't want me to know when you're awake." He just sort of huffs at her, grumbling under his breath-it sounds like something along the lines of "insufferable woman", before she leans down to shut him up. She brings a hand up to his cheek as she kisses him, and feels him wince. Alarmed, she pulls back.

"Sweetie? Are you-oh." A bruise has formed on his cheek, a red line running across his cheekbone.

"Sorry, honey." She says sheepishly, running a gentle finger around the mark. "Didn't mean to nick you there."

"Yes, your slaps do tend to sting." He smiles as he bops her nose. "Guess you can't call me Pretty Boy for a while, eh?" A mischevious grin spreads across his face.

She murmurs her agreement and leans down again, placing her whole hand on the side of his face, kissing him softly.

It takes him a second to realize exactly what's happening-what that warm glow is, what the pleasant tingly feeling of gold running through him is. When he does, he pulls back, looking at his wife in awe as she smooths her hand over his newly-healed face.

"River-you.. you..." He says, eyes widened and brain reeling.

"Yes, I did manage to figure it out. Didn't know if I'd be able to do it from inside the Library. Apparently it worked. I must say, there is something special about making out while you're giving regeneration energy. That was better than the first time."

He doesn't reply for a moment, just gapes at her, realizing all the time she has left, the things they can do, how it'll all work, how Brooke really will have a mother for quite a long time- it's a lot to take in, and frankly, he'd prefer to do this thinking while kissing his back-from-the-dead Time Lady wife. So he does.

She'll regenerate. She'll live.

The Doctor draws back gently. "Are you saying my kisses aren't enough anymore?" He asks, teasing.

"I don't remember saying that." She grins, kissing him again to prove her point.

She's missed this. More than she thought she had. Pointless cuddles in the mornings, flirting and teasing him just because she could. Gentle kisses shared before getting out of the bed to face the day. This meant so much.

 "You know I was looking forward to all the attention I was going to get." He has an adorable pout on his face, bottom lip sticking out as he looks at her. He rubs his cheek, then does an exaggerated wince, looking up at her.

She rolls her eyes. "I If you like, I can give all of these things back. So from now on I can just give you the attention instead of fixing it?"

"No, I think this'll be fine." He grumbles into the skin of her neck.

"Mhm."

He rolls his eyes at her smug look and says, "I talked to Charlotte while you were out."

"Oh?" Suddenly her eyes are attentive and she's tense. "How did that go? Is she okay?"

"She's fine. Happy to know you're alive, you know. Really going to miss you."

She looks away for a moment. "I'll certainly miss her." She murmurs.

"River-" The Doctor shifts, suddenly a little uncomfortable. "I-uh, talking to Charlotte, I found out how-well, how long it felt like in there," He watches her expression, looking for any signs, "she said that, virtually, it was two years."

She doesn't reply.

"I'm so sorry, River. I- I didn't know how long it was, didn't know what an idiot I am, didn't know how to get you out, I was scared half to death that I'd never see you again, that Brooke would grow up without her mother- I am sorry."

"Honey, it's fine."

"I left you in there!"

"You had no other choice!"

"And were you happy in there? Was that any kind of life?"

He'd left her in there- for years. No family. Just co-workers and a young girl-who, though had helped her, was not enough to make up for the length of time she'd stayed in there. It was his fault. He hadn't stopped to think while he still had her with him. Maybe, just maybe, if he'd been thinking about it before Darillium, trying to find a way, he would have. She wouldn't have gone through this pain.

The expression of self-loathing he has on is one she recognizes-it's slipped across his face at random times, much more often than he'd had her believe, before he put the facade back on. She'd seen it many, many time before she left.

Now she knows why.

"You didn't know at the time. My love, I forgive you. I will always forgive you. There is nothing you can do to change what's happened. Even if I didn't forgive you-which I do-it's not like apologizing or beating yourself up over it will help at all. Sometimes the past needs to be... in the past."

She knows that this has worn down on him, has hurt him. She knows he physically hurts knowing that she was in there that long, that she was without family for that long. When he apologizes, he means it. This is no exception.

He slowly exhales, and nods.

River rolls over, back to wrapping herself around him. "Now, we have a better past-time to get to, hm?"

------

"So, plan, today." He says, tugging at her hair. Honestly, he doesn't know how he ever survived without it. It was so beautiful and gorgeous. It made him want to actually taste the golden silk curls- even when he knew it wasn't a good idea. He could write sonnets. Playing with her hair kept him sane. It reminded him that simple things could be amazing, too. Like the way the curls bounced back to their original state even after-

River slaps his hand away. "I need to speak to Charlotte, shower, and then we can go get Brooke, yeah?" She slaps his hand away from where it had gravitated yet again, "God, maybe I should just find an identical wig for you. Wouldn't pull my hair out, at least."

"No, it wouldn't be the same. Your hair is magic, River."

"It's really not."

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?"

"It looks like a greasy rat nest."

"It really doesn't."

"It does."

"No, it looks like a sort of halo that glows, except it's curly and surrounds your head. Like a mane. Except sexier and feminine. Does that make sense?"

"No."

"Well, it looks fine. Nothing compares."

"Whatever, sweetie. Just stop," She pinches his finger, which has a curl wound around it, "messing with it."

----------

The Doctor opted to take a shower right after she did (well, she says after..), so he's still washing up. After she and Charlotte talked, they'd go get Brooke.

 As she walks into the control room, another wave of shame hits her, emanating from the TARDIS. River rubs a worried hand over the console, making a note to look into it as soon as she can.

She plugs up the monitor then, finding the same wavelength the Doctor did to connect her to Charlotte.She tugs the screen around, pulling it to rest right above the TARDIS screen. After a moment, the screen clears, and she sees Charlotte's living room again, the little girl fast asleep on the couch, an arm slung over a  black Lab beside her.

She breathes a sigh of relief. She's there. Nothing's happened to her while she was gone. While it was slightly irrational to worry about her-after all, she was technically a computer in an empty Library that could run forever- it was still good to see her.

It strikes her that what she feels now, missing the girl, feels nearly the same as she had felt missing Brooke. Charlotte wasn't just someone River would chat with everynow and then. She'd be talking to her everyday, telling her she missed her and staying up hours of the night to talk about what they did that day.

The sleeping girl twitches on the sofa, and River snaps out of her thoughts.

"Charlotte?" River says, looking at the dog. She usually didn't have animals in the Library. Not pets, anyway. "Charlotte."

She startles on the couch, head snapping up and looking at the screen.

"Hello, dear." River smiles. "I've missed you."

"River!" She hurries to sit up and run closer. Charlotte rubs her eyes. "I missed you so much! I met the Doctor, and he said you were okay, and you really do look great! Where's Brooke? Is she with you? Can I meet her? Where's the Doctor? Is he there? Oh! River! I got a dog!" She fumbles out in one breath, bending down to pet the Lab that woke up with her. "His name is Rory! What do you think?"

There is a certain pang that stabs at her heart. She was replaced by a dog? After everything they'd been through, all the time they'd spent together-Charlotte was practically a daughter to her- she'd been replaced. By a dog.

Just as quickly, she shoves the thought away. It was just a girl in need of comfort. The dog could be good for her. Someone else to love, to hold, when holding the Library inside her head was too much. She needed someone, and River was glad she'd found it.

------

Above them, at the top of the stairs, the Doctor smiles down at the sight of the two happily conversing. He knew the two had a strong bond- but this- this is so much more. They've missed each other a lot-even in the short period of time she's been gone. They were in there two years together-more than enough time to form a special friendship, yes-but Charlotte really is like a daughter to River. She smiles at her the same way, that softness in her eyes present, looking at her like every word she says is important and cherished.

It's beautiful.

He turns his attention back to their conversation.

River smiles gently at the girl. "He's lovely, dear. When did you get him?"

Charlotte smiles, rubbing the dog's ears. She has certainly missed River-quite a lot. She was a mother figure, a loving set of arms to go to when it felt like too much. She'd been there for her, just as Charlotte had tried to be there for River. Honestly, she didn't think the other woman would ever leave. She'd heard that River had died, then been put in-they all had. Where could she go? But there had been a way out. And though Charlotte was sad to lose her, she understood the concept of love, and she knew there was no force stronger in the universe than a mother's love for her child.

River is mentally thanking the Doctor for soothing her fears about Charlotte. The girl was fine-and maybe even on the road to happiness. Her expression was certainly one of longing, but she was also still stroking Rory. She would be fine.

"Well, it was Other Dave's idea. I was really sad after you left, because I didn't know if you were ok, so he said that I needed another friend. And then the Doctor called and said you were alright, and I was really happy, so I made him anyway. Isn't he gorgeous?"

River can't help but grin at her. She was terrified, for a moment at the beginning, that Charlotte wouldn't even want to speak to her- had changed her mind since River had left. Maybe that she would hate her for leaving her there. But she's happy, smiling, already with a new friend. She forgets how much Charlotte has been through. That before she was this sometimes wise-beyond-her years computer with feelings, she was a young girl with a terminal illness who was forced to be brave beyond comprehension at a terrible age. Charlotte is anything but weak.

"Very, sweetie." River replies.

"Oh, right! Where's Brooke?"

"She's still with my brother. We'll go get her soon, and then you can see her. How's that sound?"

"Great! I can't wait to meet her. I'm really glad to just see your face," Charlotte confesses, "see you for myself and know you're okay. I was really worried about you until the Doctor called. Is he with you?"

River glances around. He's still not in there. He must've prolonged his shower so that they could have a little privacy. She mentally thanks her husband once again.

"Um, no. He's in the shower."

"Oh, okay. He's really nice. I like his new face," Looking around River for a moment, and not seeing him, she then whispers conspiratially, "but where are his eyebrows? Did he burn them off or something?"

 The older woman laughs, rolling her eyes. "They're just delicate." She decides to go with his explanation. The real one involves a complicated visit to an alien planet, but he prefers she not share that information.

The girl raises an eyebrow at the probably mischevious look on her face, but doesn't comment further. "Sure. And the chin?"

"Oi! This is a beautiful chin!" The Doctor pipes up indignantly.

Charlotte snorts as the Doctor bounds down the steps, dressed in his purple tweed, long legs quickly bringing him to the console. "Yes, of course it is." She teases.

He 'hmph's, but he's hiding a smile as he types in coordinates. "Hello to you too, Charlotte."

"It's not that horrible. At least Brooke didn't get it, though. That would be a travesty." River smiles at him, and he rolls his eyes as he throws the lever.

"You love it. Ready to see Brooke then, Charlotte?" He asks the girl on the screen.

"Absolutely." She smiles at him.

"Good." He tosses the last lever, then waits expectantly.

The TARDIS thrums into gear as usual, the rings in the centerpiece beginning to move.

"She'll love you," River says, smiling at the screen. "It'll be-"

A loud grinding noise emanating above their heads interrupts, and the centerpiece stops suddenly. A flash of smoke pops up right in front of the Doctor, and he jumps back to avoid getting singed by the small fire.

He squeaks loudly, and starts fanning it, as River tugs open a panel nearby and grabs the fire extinguisher. Seconds later, white foam covers the console- and the Doctor.

"What the hell was that?"

"I don't know!" The Doctor replies, pulling his sonic out of his pocket to run a diagnostic.

Charlotte, still onscreen, is sending a frightened look River's way. Then, without being provoked, nods slowly and her lips curl up into a smile.

Please press the vote button! :) I'd really appreciate it!

[A/N. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

(My favorite time of year! :D)

Finally done! Gosh, that took way longer than expected. Apologies. I had half of it written last week. Thought I'd have it finished by now. Oh well. It's up now!

 What do you think of River regaining regenerations? Surprised? Any guesses on how it's going to go down when they get back? Comments make me happy, people! (It can be your Christmas present to me! XD)

Quick survey: How many of you are NOT from America? It's fine if you don't want to tell what country, I'm just curious. I'm American, so foreign countries fascinate me. I don't know. Just me.

There's this thing that tells me where my readers are from (not individually), and I'm going crazy. There's people reading from Greece, France, Sweden, Brazil, Japan, the Philippines, Ireland! That's pretty flipping awesome for me.

(DO ANY OF YOU WATCH AGENTS OF SHIELD BECAUSE I JUST WATCHED ALL OF SEASON ONE AND THE FIRST EPISODE OF SEASON TWO AND FITZSIMMONS NEEDS TO BE FIXED IMMEDIATELY OR I WILL HUNT DOWN JOSS WHEDON!!!!!!)

Votes and comments always appreciated! Merry Christmas again! :D ]